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May 17, 2008

G44: Red Sox 5, Brewers 3

Dice was strong (6.2-7-2-2-6, 103, both runs unearned) and David Ortiz belted a three-run home run to left-center in the second inning. The pen saw some nice work from Manny Delcarmen (1.1 IP, ending the 7th and taking the 8th, allowing only a one-out single).

Ortiz also scored in the first, on a bases-loaded walk to J.D. Drew. Doubles from Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbury brought in the fifth run in the eighth.

Matsuzaka worked quickly through the first 4.2 innings, throwing only 58 pitches to 16 batters. But with two outs in the fifth, he allowed a single to Bill Hall, hit Jason Kendall and walked Rickie Weeks to load the bases before getting the final out.

A two-out error at third from Kevin Youkilis kept the seventh inning alive for Milwaukee and Mike Cameron followed with a two-run dong to left. Papelbon allowed a solo shot to Ryan Braun in the ninth.

The Red Sox had plenty of chances to add to their run total.

4th - runner on second, no outs5th - runners on first and second, no outs6th - runners on first and third, no outs7th - runners on first and second, no outs

None of those runners scored. In fact, only one of those seven runners advanced even one base; the man on first in the 6th ended up at second.

I meant that tweens don't seem that different from teens. They dress like teens, talk like teens, and perhaps even engage in teen behavior. They just are 10-12 instead of 13 and over. I know they are a new marketing demographic. I find that sad.

When I was 10, I dressed and acted like a kid. I don't see that any more.

I think it is unfortunate that 10 year old girls are so sexualized in what they wear, what they talk about, what they do. It is what it is, but I still am wistful for days when kids held on to their innocence for a longer period of time. I am not sure it is healthy for a ten year old to be wearing makeup and tight clothes and thinking about appearnances and looking "cool."

I think childhood innocence is a fairly recent phenomenon---it certainly was not the case in the 19th or early 20th century when kids were working long hours. Probably more a modern phenomenon. But those good old days are my good old days!

Good to hear there are kids who are still kids at that age. I don't get much of a chance to talk to anyone under 20 these days!

And in 2048, those now-10 year olds will talk about how much better it was back in 2008 for kids -- the "good old days".

Probably true. And it will probably be right! Life gets better and worse. I wouldn't go back to the 1950s with all its sexism and racism and no cable TV or internet, but it was a fairly easy time to grow up---if you ignore all our concerns about the cold war and the atomic bomb.

It's always easy to grow up if your family has enough means for you to be comfortable and you are not the target of persecution. People talk about the idyllic 1950s in the US, but what if you were gay? Or a black person in Alabama?

Good afternoon, chaps. Just got home from going out to lunch about an hour away. Some restaurants are worth the hour drive. The problem is our waitress was not good at all. Frank, unsanitary, lazy, that sort of thing. My sister went and talked to the manager just to give him a heads up (she graduated from college today, thus the reason for the trip) and the manager was very nice about it and understood, and said "Let me see your bill, I'm going to go amend it for you" and ended up taking $60 off of the bill. It was too bad about the waitress, but it happens. There are always exceptionally good ones and bad ones.

And here we are with a 4-0 lead on an absolutely beautiful day, and we have 13 innings of baseball left!

I am sure there were lots of miserable kids back then---not only because they were poor or black or gay---but because they had miserable parents. It was never really like Leave it to Beaver. And I had my miseries as well. But it was less complicated in many ways, and my friends and I had a lot of innocence and ignorance---they seem to go together.

Ah, Hartford. Memories of wandering around there, going to the malls with my family... West Hartford, Newington, Manchester... also stopping into a little bakery in Elmwood for scotch bread each time we went. I've got family in Simsbury/Granby area.

McCArver = idiot. Just "noticing" the "worn spot" behind the mound, saying "it makes sense, all the pitchers walk up the back of the mound." What he doesn't "notice" is the spike cleaner thing that they're SHOWING A CLOSE UP of as he's talking.....

"Hitting Bottom. ... and here I thought last Saturday's game was the worst game of the year. Can the Red Sox play any worse than they did in last night's 11-3 pasting in the Bronx? I'd like to say No, but I think the correct answer is ... stay tuned."

Then I quoted SoSH TheYellowDart5:

"I don't think it's possible to express how frustrated I am right now with this team. Night after night after night, they throw away games with tremendously poor defense, horrible baserunning, a lack of clutch hitting, a lack of clutch pitching, and just about every other conceivable mistake you can make in a ballgame.

This is a team that is close to the top in errors, nearly last in fielding percentage, gives away outs like they were candy, can't bunt, can't run, forgets outs, can't turn routine DPs, forgets to hold runners on (I'm looking at you Derek...), seemingly doesn't read scouting reports, doesn't take advantage of opposing team miscues, and seems to fold if they're behind after the 7th. There is, simply put, absolutely no life or energy or urgency to this team. None."

One of the many things I wrote on the same night: "And where were the mad bombers last night? You've got A-Rod, Jeter, Cheney, Posada, Pataki, Giambi, and Giuliani in one room. You can't let that kind of oppurtunity slip away!"